I am a parent in Ottawa with…

I am a parent in Ottawa with 2 school-aged children. Thanks to the bike lanes in my city, and the improvements to the bike network, including the increasing amount of safe / separated cycle tracks and multi-use pathways, i use my bike for the majority of daily trips by myself or with my kids, within 5 km from home - this includes getting to work, shopping, activities, recreation, etc. This means my family gets more time outdoors, engages positively with our community, shops our local businesses and saves money. I also own a car - we are a 1-car family. If I didn't use my electric cargo bike the way i do, we would need 2 cars which is a much greater expense. I want my children to have healthy, active and affordable transportation options when they are travelling to school, to see friends and to sports or other activities, allowing them to gain independence as they mature. Safe bike infrastructure makes this possible.

The above being said, removing bike lanes will endanger my life and those of my loved ones and members of my community. People like me will still choose to ride a bike for daily transportation, but it will be less safe. Also, many people who ride bikes to get around also own cars. More of us will choose to drive when the route is unsafe. I refer you to this letter by physicians opposed to this bill: https://healthydebate.ca/2024/10/topic/legislation-road-design-safety-t…

Research has repeatedly shown that widening roads makes congestion worse. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-06/traffic-jam-blame-in…

We need to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, and encouraging people to bike is an important part of this reduction, especially in dense urban areas. I refer you to this important review on the health and environmental benefits of cycling in the Canadian Family Physician: https://www.cfp.ca/content/67/10/739. It is also essential to look at the success story of bike share in toronto over the last few years, thanks largely to an increasing network of safe bicycle lanes. : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/bike-share-toronto-ridership-rec… This has provided residents with an alternative transportation option that is afforddable, fast and safe. The more people who have such options, the less people in single occupancy vehicles causing congestion in vehicle lanes.

Removing bike lanes is a waste of taxpayers money, and businesses will also suffer from reduced traffic. Study after study has shown that businesses on main streets over-estimate how many of their customers drive to their stores. There are many studies showing that bike lanes are good for business: https://streets.mn/2022/01/26/bikes-and-business-on-bloor/

Ontarians need more options to get around, not fewer.

Lastly, the Province shouldn’t meddle in decisions best made by municipalities. Our cities (in my case Ottawa) have spent hours of staff time, community consultations, and millions of dollars investing in cycling infrastructure which is successfully leading to shifts in transportation mode. THis is my tax money that has gone to these profits, and if you suggest ripping it all out, my taxes will be used a second time and entirely wasted. This is fiscally irresponsible.